What cause MalayaLam industry downfall?

[joe]

Writter Jayamohan's views on status of Malayalam industry
http://jeyamohan.in/?p=521

[joe]

some feedbacks
http://jeyamohan.in/?p=528

[Murali Srinivas]

Dear Joe,

There has been a sea change in the attitude of Keralites compared to what it was some 2 decades ago. People would even think twice before clapping in theatre. Now they have even come to do Palabishekam for their favourite star. I am sort of amazed as well as feel sorry for this transformation. See the related link. On 4th July, Mohanlal's new movie "Maadambi" got released. Go through all the pages (now this thread has 9 pages) and You tube videos. There is a even a newspaper photo about the crowd.

http://www.forumkerala.com/malayalam-cinema/30482-madambi-review-photos-verdict-megahit.html

Next week Mammootty's "Parunthu" is getting released. So there will be tit for tat.

Regards

[joe]

:shock:
Murali sir,
I agree that popularity of thamizh movies changed the culture of common malayaLam cinema goers ..

But shall we start from begining ..What made malayaLam fans turned to thamizh movies ? what lacked in malayalam movies made them to change their focus to thamizh movies ?

[P_R]

Very good essay by Jeyamohan.
Thanks Joe.

When we bought our VCR - around '93 - there was video rental guy near our colony in Madurai who was a Malayalee. He used to get casettes of many Malayalam films. My mother and aunt started watching so many of them that they can understand the language quite well. I too used to watch on and off and at that time could only see the films were different from the melodrama of our films.Often times it would be a regular family sentiment film, but narrated so simply and fluently that they are impressive. Most importantly by watching those films one would get a fair impression of how the local culture was there - which is NOT something we can say of most of our films.

Sad to learn that all this is on the decline.

[joe]

PR,
I am also almost in the same position like you ..Though i don't understand malaYalam fully ,defenitely had malayaLam influence since my home is just 35 kms away from Kerala and before 1954 Kanyakumari dist was with Kerala and still we have shades of malayaLam culture (food ,politics etc) in our dist.

Once upon a time MalayaLis made fun on thamizh movies ,since ma;layaLam movies were better in narration and wide range of stories ..But now not just movies ,i can see thamizh influence in TV also .

In very popular asia net show 'Idea star Singer' ,atleast 40% songs are thamizh songs and from the reaction of audience and judges ,thamizh songs as popular there as in thamizh nadu.

how did this happen? :roll:

[P_R]

This weekend I went to Kozhikkode. I saw posters for Dasavatharam - understandable.
I also saw posters for thOttA - (jeevan-priyamani). I don't get why such second rate films are released there ? Are they more successful than the local fare ?

While on the way to the airport I was fiddling with the FM in the cab. Two channels playing Tamil and Hindi songs respectively. No Malayalam FM in a city that is big enough to have an internartional airport !!

[Murali Srinivas]

Prabhu,

Kozhikode or Calicut does have Malayalam FM channels. The good thing about their radio stations or TV channels is they dedicate an hour or so for other languages. If you check Kiran TV (Sun Tv group), they have daily 1 hr programme for Tamil hits. The compere of that prog Sandara was the girl who got married to Prajan.

You are surprised about Thotta. The fact is every Tamil film will release in Kerala. Not only in main stations but also in all the centres where they have theatres. This has been the practice since ages. When I was there, I have seen even dubbed movies (from Telugu to Tamil)of Chiranjeevi in theatres.

Kerala is one place where you can see high tolerance levels in all spheres.

Joe,

The transformation was happening even at that time but it was slow. I think Jayamohan has explained it clearly. The competition between the two M's started in 1987 but the fans association began in 1990s. After sometime, it started declining. But after 2000, again it started and by 2003 -04, it was mushrooming and now it is almost like Tamilnadu. Even in Kottayam, the place where I worked, it has caught up. It is a very conservative area and you should be knowing. It is dominated by Syrian Christians and there it was minimal. In fact the people thre used to say that fans association itself is there only in Trivandrum and Palgaht because of their proximty to Tamilnadu. But now there is Kottayam district Mammootty fans association and MLal fans association under which numerous units operate. In fact in Kottayam for the last release of Mammootty, (Annan Thampi- the film jayamohan had written about), the crowds had gathered in front of the theatre at 7 am on the first day and they had no other go but to start screning.[In a town called Tirur in Malappuram district, the same film had it's first show at 3.45 am in the morning] Compare this with the times, I was there. The theatre staff would not start their work before 11 am (however big the rush may be) and would not even work for an extra show. (CITU Unions). Not a surprise anymore considering the fact that Paalabhisekam happens in Alleppy, once called the cradle of Communism (hope you have heard about the Punnapara Vayalar porattangal against the Diwan rule).

How time changes!

Regards

[P_R]

Prabhu,
Kozhikode or Calicut does have Malayalam FM channels. The good thing about their radio stations or TV channels is they dedicate an hour or so for other languages. If you check Kiran TV (Sun Tv group), they have daily 1 hr programme for Tamil hits.

Oh ok ! I remember in old DD2 - a channel that was the previlege of residents of Madras,Kanchipuram etc - there was a weekly program like our oliyum oLiyum. Just that it used to 2 songs each from each of the regional languages. SS Music has made a channel out of that concept !! I guess I got the FM at the 'wrong' time then. In its intial days Asianet used to telecast Tamil films.


I thought only classics and/or hit Tamil films were released in Kerala. And since ThOttA is by no means either I was surprised.
I thought only stars like Kamal-Rajini have simultaneous releases in TN and Kerala.

Chiranjeevi Tamil dub ellAm naan edhirpaarkkavE illai :lol:

Madurai used to have much more Telugu dubbing releases some years back than now...either that or I used to have too much free time back then :-)

[Murali Srinivas]

Joe & Prabhu,

But in spite of all such happenings, Malayalam cinema still produces some good cinema. All said and done, still the Standard of their films are much higher when compared to our films.

Both the M's, though they have been comercially inclined of late, still continue to do good cinemas. Not only that, time and again they prove that you need not spend 2-3 years on a movie. Quality and quantity can co-exist. Here I am reminded of NT, who also followed the same policy.

Another factor that I like in their movies is, the characerization of the Hero. He will be a person whom you can easily identify. They can be spotted amongst the people whom we meet in our day to life. Unlike Tamil film heroes they are not superficial.

Let us have a look at some of the pictures of them on floors.

Mammootty

1. Parunthu - Directed by a young director Padmakumar, the hero is a கந்து வட்டிக்காரன். A totally negative character who grew up as an orphan because his parents ditched him. Will go to any length for money. Movie is getting released on 18th July.

2. Vandemaatharam (Malayalam) & Aruvadai (Tamil)

This movie produced by Hendri is a bi-lingual which has also Arjun in its cast. Mammootty comes in as a Chief of IB (Intelligence Bureau) of Southern region. [This is what i mentioned. Their characters will look real]. Movie releases on Aug 15th.

3. Pazhasi Raaja - A classic written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by Hariharan.[This team earlier gave Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha]. This tells the story of the King who fought against the British much before the Sipoy uprising in 1857. It also stars Sarathkumar and Suman. Release may be either for Onam (Aug end) or Ramzan (Oct 1st).

4. Twenty-20 - Directed by Joshi and produced by AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists), it has every Malayalam actor playing a role. May release for Onam.

5. Kutti Sranku - Produced by Adlabs and Directed by Shaji.M.Karun (remember his Piravi and Vanaprastham), the story is set in the late 1950s. Three women enter and exit the life of Sranku, a boat driver who operate between Kochi and Alleppy backwaters. The story demands different seasons and the first part shooting has been recently completed under the vigours of monsoon.

6. Maya Bazaar - Directed by a debutant director Thomas Sebastian, the hero is from a automobile market where the main job is dismantling and remodelling of condemned cars (See again the charterization). This movie is going to start. Will release for Christmas.

7. Pattanathil Bootham - Nothing to do with the old Tamil film. Here the hero is a circus person who does the dare devil act in a motorcycle. It is a sort of Sci.Fic cum comedy role in the sense oneday he understands that he has some special powers. The story takes an interesting turn from thereon.

In addition to this, he has some 20 other films, for which he had commited in principle, keeping his callsheet full till 2011.

Will come back.

Regards

[joe]

Murali sir,
Thanks for lot of info :D

[joe]

Prabhu,
Kozhikode or Calicut does have Malayalam FM channels. The good thing about their radio stations or TV channels is they dedicate an hour or so for other languages.

The same thing happening here in singapore with 24 hours Thamizh Oli 96.8 FM .They allocate 30 mins each for malayaLam,telugu ,Hindi or Punjabi songs .

[P_R]

Thanks for the info Mr. MuraLi.
I don't follow Malayalam films as closely as you do.

A rush of films I saw in the early 90s which I don't know the name of (like the Mammootty-Rahman film u mentioned in the Pudhiya Paravai post, I had seen it but had no recollection till I read ur post).Jeyamohan had given a list of good films over the years, I am scouring Moser Baer site for the ones that are available.

[joe]

Murali sir,
Funny thing is ..since we subscribe AsiaNet here in singapore ,I watch weekend malaYalam movies without knowing its title :lol:

Last week end I watched a mamooty movie ..????? CBI ,reminds me manichithira thazh ...Mamooty and Mugesh come as CBI officers to investigate murders happening in a mysterious house ..any idea ..what is the title ?

[P_R]

Murali sir,
Funny thing is ..since we subscribe AsiaNet here in singapore ,I watch weekend malaYalam movies without knowing its title :lol:

Last week end I watched a mamooty movie ..????? CBI ,reminds me manichithira thazh ...Mamooty and Mugesh come as CBI officers to investigate murders happening in a mysterious house ..any idea ..what is the title ?

oru CBI diary kuRippu.

Nice thriller

[joe]

Murali sir,
Funny thing is ..since we subscribe AsiaNet here in singapore ,I watch weekend malaYalam movies without knowing its title :lol:

Last week end I watched a mamooty movie ..????? CBI ,reminds me manichithira thazh ...Mamooty and Mugesh come as CBI officers to investigate murders happening in a mysterious house ..any idea ..what is the title ?

oru CBI diary kuRippu.

Nice thriller

oh! I thought CBI diary kuRippu is bit old movie and this one looks quite new ..More over from the Title they shown 'CBI' comes at the end of the Title. :roll:

[selvakumar]

Going by the few posts, looks like Murali sir is indeed a GREAT fan of Mamooty :D

[joe]

Going by the few posts, looks like Murali sir is indeed a GREAT fan of Mamooty :D

Ofcourse ,Me too 8-)

[Vivasaayi]

i am big fan of malayalam movies esp comedy...jagathy,srinivasan,innocent nu what a comedy pataalam..esp jagathy :notworthy:

padam paathu paathe malayalam oralavuku puriyum :D

havent seen a single masala movie of lal or mamootty till now...except spadigam.

as jeyamohan said the technical aspects of malayalam movies have always been mediocre considering the production values.the music and photography of even some classics resemble a "shakeela" movie.they stood tall by script and acting.

[joe]

As a language ,MalayaLam is beautiful and very expressive ..There is a layer of humour inbuilt in the language itself.

[Murali Srinivas]

Joe,

It is Nerariyan CBI - Meaning Unmaiyai thedi CBI (loose translation). It was the 4th of the CBI series which was released in Sep 2005. The series was like this

1.Oru CBI Diary Kurippu - Feb 1988

2. Jagratha - Sep 1989

3. Sethuramaiyer CBI - Jan 2004

4. Nerariyan CBI - Sep 2005.

Prabhu,

I know that you are not following. But my intention was to give info about the quality of films being made even at the worst of times. These are ongoing projects.

Selva,

Yes. I am a great fan of Mammootty. After NT, if one person had impressed me with his acting, then it is Mammootty. Many people used to tell me that Lal is better than Mammootty but somehow I like Mammootty. May be due to the fact he is more in the mould of NT.

But if you commented based on the list provided, then it was for the range of characters and stories they are making there. Plus, in spite of doing 4,5 films at a time, they don't compromise on quality. I also wanted to give list of Lal's forthcoming films, which I would.

One film that I want to mention is Kurushetra. Major Ravi who did Keerthi Chakra (Aran in Tamil dealing with the Mosque seize) and later Mission 90 days (dealing with Rajiv Gandhi assasscination) is now taking up Kargil war. The beauty of this film is it is entirely being shot in Kargil. Right now the crew is in Kargil and the shooting (with special permission from Indian Army) is in progress. Mohanlal comes in Major Mahadevan.

If they with a small territory and low BO potential can make such films, why our Tamil films still (not all but majority) confine themselves to the Box?

Regards

[Vivasaayi]

As a language ,MalayaLam is beautiful and very expressive ..There is a layer of humour inbuilt in the language itself.

absolutely..their normal slang itself sounds with "nakkal" as our coimbatore slang which has a funy note attached to it

[app_engine]

Interesting article (accurate analysis) by Jeyamohan! Thanks Joe for the link:-)

It's interesting to see both M's have acted as loan sharks in their respective recent movies. It seems there is even "punch dialog" in madAmbi that targets 'parinthu'. What happened to the M's? When have they become juveniles (like some rivals in TF)?

[app_engine]

Prabhu Ram, one Malayalam movie that you should not miss is 'thoovAnaththumbikaL' (Padmarajan / Mohanlal). Last summer I rented the DVD and was stunned by the film. Since family was also away, would have watched portions of this movie countless times. Try to get and watch (if not done already)!

Another rare find, during the same period, was the Mammootty-Suhasini movie 'ente upAsana'. Excellent film that should not be missed. (By some coincidence I watched sindhu bhairavi, bommukkutty ammAvukku and this movie during the same period and totally changed my college-days' critical opinion about Suhasini. Very talented!)

[P_R]

Thanks App_engine.
I have been hearing of ThUvAnathumbigaL. Only vcds seem to be available, no dvds with subs. My major problem. It is on my list nevertheless. In fact I have not watched a single Padmarajan film - though I heard about him over a year back, here in the Hub actually through the hubber sandeep.

Second film noted. I have major issues with Suhasini (and Sindhu Bhairavi is one of the reasons), but I am willing to be pleasantly surprised :-)

[sarna_blr]

Wn I was in Cochin(Ernakulam) , I saw a movie CHANDHUPOTTU... overrated movie by mallu audience..... overacting by Dileep :sigh2:

One more movie of Dileep is PANDIPADA... similar to Tamizh masala movie.....

then came Lion :hammer: :hammer: .... tamizh'la Namnaadu paaththeenganaa theriyum :sigh2:

Before that CID moosa...meesaimaadhavan.... Kunjukoonan.... all are masala movies....

The above said all movies were Super hit movies... During this period Mammoo's and Lal's movie were flopped...

Mammuty also did a movie Rajamanickan which ran for 150 days in ernakulam.... Its a Vijay kinda movie...

[directhit]

Wn I was in Cochin(Ernakulam) , I saw a movie CHANDHUPOTTU... overrated movie by mallu audience..... overacting by Dileep :sigh2:

One more movie of Dileep is PANDIPADA... similar to Tamizh masala movie.....

then came Lion :hammer: :hammer: .... tamizh'la Namnaadu paaththeenganaa theriyum :sigh2:

Before that CID moosa...meesaimaadhavan.... Kunjukoonan.... all are masala movies....

The above said all movies were Super hit movies... During this period Mammoo's and Lal's movie were flopped...

Mammuty also did a movie Rajamanickan which ran for 150 days in ernakulam.... Its a Vijay kinda movie... :shock: :notthatway: that movie's biggest plus is the slang without which its a normal masala movie! if am not wrong, Rajamanickam is the highest grosser till date in Malayalam

Kunjukoonan is not regular masala - its perazhagan
CID Moosa recently came in tamil with prasanna - chenna thaana

and chandupottu - overrated aah - i guess it was a wonderful role done by Dilip which even made Vikram think abt taking up the movie and perhaps put it on hold/dropped with Ajith acting in Varalaaru as a transvestite in one of the roles

[sarna_blr]

:shock: :notthatway: that movie's biggest plus is the slang without which its a normal masala movie! if am not wrong, Rajamanickam is the highest grosser till date in Malayalam

Kunjukoonan is not regular masala - its perazhagan
CID Moosa recently came in tamil with prasanna - chenna thaana

and chandupottu - overrated aah -i guess it was a wonderful role done by Dilip which even made Vikram think abt taking up the movie and perhaps put it on hold/dropped with Ajith acting in Varalaaru as a transvestite in one of the roles

Rajamanickam movie was a good entertainer.... except the different slang... its a Vijay kinda movie.... the similar heroism... the similar punch dialogues.... and one kuththu song is also there but danced by Rahman....

Abt Chandhupottu.. no comments... 8-)

[app_engine]

Prabhu Ram,
Just a word of caution (about both my recommendations above). Don't read any review / blog that gives the movie storyline / plot prior to viewing for the first time. I watched both of them with zero idea and was impressed.

About Suhasini - when SB got released, I saw it in theater, during college days. I was such a vocal critic of her among friends for many years. Was upset when she even got a NA for that, lamenting someone else should have got etc.

However, watching the same SB last year, after 20 years with changed circumstances in life, I found her to be quite impressive. May be after seeing 100's of hopeless actresses for many years made me appreciate her 'OK' talents:-) Or, may be it's a realization that she did perfect justice to the role KB conceived.

[Murali Srinivas]

app,

Don't consider this as nit picking. Thoovana Thumbikal was in 1987-88, whereas Ente Upasana was released in 1984 (if my memory serves me right). Neverthless EU was a Padmarajan film right?

Mammootty as the MD and Suhasini as the person working under him. Later leaves him without informing him and the climax gives you the resason behind that- Right ? I don't know whether you have seen another movie "Katha ithu vare" starring the same pair directed by Joshi, where Mam would be a pilot and Suha would be an airhostess. Both these films used to look similar to me, though only to a small extent.

TT was a class movie and the surprise packet was Sumalatha.

There are umpteen movies of Padmarajan which had class writen all over it. In fact there was this "Kariyile Kaatru pola" which had the two Ms together but without even a single combination shot. Almost similar to our Andha Naal (shall I say Roshoman), Padmarajan had nicely Malayamised it.

If we start speaking , it will simply go on.

Regards

[app_engine]

Murali,
ente upAsanA is not a Padmarajan movie (forgot the name of the director) and I don't know the year of release also, as I saw in DVD only last year.

In your post, "Mammootty as the MD and Suhasini as the person working under him." is correct but the rest is not. May be there are many similar movies:-) This was a case of seeing a movie with zero expectation and knowing nothing about it and getting terribly impressed (due to the bold twists as well as helplessness here and there) and Suhasini's performance was very apt, IMO.

thoovAnaththumbikaL is the only Padmarajan movie I've seen so far, though I've heard a lot about him. This movie was quite an "experience" for me as I could replay portions many times (as no one else was home:-)) and lazily relish:-)) Recently I saw the 'onnAm rAgam pAdi' song at veoh.com - very good quality video - and can't help admire the picturisation. The subtle expressions that Parvathi (Mrs Jayaram now) can bring about is another thing to relish!

[selvakumar]

Selva,

Yes. I am a great fan of Mammootty. After NT, if one person had impressed me with his acting, then it is Mammootty. Many people used to tell me that Lal is better than Mammootty but somehow I like Mammootty. May be due to the fact he is more in the mould of NT. .
Murali sir,
I missed this post. As I said, you seem to enjoy Mamooty's performance a lot. I checked with one of my friends on the movie Roundram. He said it was very bad. But your review was positive. Athaan oru chinna doubt :P and I posted it just for fun :D Serious ah eduthukka vendaam.

[selvakumar]

and chandupottu - overrated aah - i guess it was a wonderful role done by Dilip which even made Vikram think abt taking up the movie and perhaps put it on hold/dropped with Ajith acting in Varalaaru as a transvestite in one of the roles
Anoops,
I saw parts of the movie and I felt it was a below average movie. Did Dilip appear in the movie with the mush always ? If that is true then the director must have missed something. Appadi irukkiravanga mudhal kaariyama meesaiya thaanae edupaanga. Sadai ellam vaichavanga meesaiya vittutaangaloae. ?

P.S: I didn't understand anything in the movie. So, thappa iruntha vitrungoe :yessir:

[kannannn]

If we start speaking , it will simply go on.
Oh don't stop Murali Srinivas!! As I have said before, you are a treasure trove. Just had the chance to read this thread fully and my opinion is only reinforced. A couple of questions:

Did Sumalatha also star in 'Oru May Masa Pulariyil'?

To what extent was Bharat Gopi involved in films after his paralysis?


As for the CBI series, thrillers were much more popular around the time the first CBI was released, if I am right. New Delhi (Vishwanathan is one of my favourite Mammooty characters)and Iyer the Great were other note worthy movies of the genre.

[Murali Srinivas]

app,

You may be right. As I said I saw it at the time of release and it is almost 24 long years. Let me check.

Selva,

I don't think, I praised Roudram. If I remember correctly, I wrote about the theatre response for the Hero's introduction which was as if I was watching an opening show of a Tamil movie. What surprised me was such a response was happening in Chennai. The movie was average but Mammootty as a cop would always be aggressive and the writer cum Director Renji Panniker is known for his firebrand dialogues and so both put together, it was ok.

Thappa edthukarathukku enna irukku Selva? Are you a fan-nu kettenga, naanum Yes-nu sonnen. Nalla oru actorkku adhuvum 3 times National Award vaanginavarukku thaane fan-a nu kettenga. Don't worry. You know me. I will never take it otherwise.

Regards

[selvakumar]

Murali sir


Selva,

I don't think, I praised Roudram. If I remember correctly, I wrote about the theatre response for the Hero's introduction which was as if I was watching an opening show of a Tamil movie. What surprised me was such a response was happening in Chennai. The movie was average but Mammootty as a cop would always be aggressive and the writer cum Director Renji Panniker is known for his firebrand dialogues and so both put together, it was ok.
oh. :D
Generally, people won't see movies that have -ve word of mouth. Atha meeriyum paarthalum fan ah thaan irupaanga. Atha vachu thaan kettaen :D


Thappa edthukarathukku enna irukku Selva? Are you a fan-nu kettenga, naanum Yes-nu sonnen. Nalla oru actorkku adhuvum 3 times National Award vaanginavarukku thaane fan-a nu kettenga. Don't worry. You know me. I will never take it otherwise.
:D

[Murali Srinivas]

Thanks Kannan. What I meant was, it was a sort of passion for me. Still it is. Would definitely will try to talk about those movies.

I think Sumalatha was there in Oru May Masa Pulariyil, though I am not sure of it.

Bharat Gopi became active after certain period of lay off. In his first innings, Kodiyettam was the one which fetched him Bharath award. He was awesome in Ormaikaayee (with Madhavi where he would come as a dumb- a 1981-82 release) and Yavanika (a suspense thriller where he would be a Tabla player Iyappan. Mammootty did a investigating cop role which took him to Super Star levels. This was directed by K.G.George, another off beat director and produced by Henry of Pankaj Productions. Remember Bharathi Kannamma and Marumalarchi? He produced it.). Kaatathe Kilikoodu was another famous movie that had Lal and Revathi in stellar roles. I think that came in Tamil also.

Later Gopi came back with a directorial venture Utsava Pittenu (meaning the day after Utsavam) starring Mohanlal but it didn't do well. He didn't direct thereafter but acted. He did one movie with Mammootty " Paadheyam" (actually produced by him and directed by Bharathan) which was good. But his later day movies did not have any powerful roles for him. He came as Lal's father in a movie Rasathanthiram (directed by Sathyan Anthicaud). That was in 2006 and last year (2207) he did a small role in Mammootty's "Nasrani" and within a matter of months, he passed away. Will try to remember more films of him.

Yes, you are right about thrillers. New Delhi preceded CBI. Though it (New Delhi) was inspired from "The Almighty" novel, it was neatly Indianised. Iyer the Great was a very good movie. The diredtor Bhadran (not to be confused with Bharathan) later could not sustain such standards. I will try to write about such movies, whenever time permits.

Regards

PS: Kannan, are you following Paadalgal Palavitham thread in current topics?

[app_engine]

Gopi was in the award-winning 'chidambaram', a Smitha Patel starrer. (Smitha is a Thamizh woman with a dark husband in that film)

It was probably my first year in Kerala and I felt sooo bored with that movie as I haven't developed a taste for such movies yet (may like it if I see now). Same with panchAgni (MT / Hariharan / Mohanlal/ Geetha / nalleNNei Chitra) which I felt was boring at the time of release, but loved the songs! (Bombay Ravi's 'Ah rAthri mAjnu pOyi' by KSC & 'sAgarangalE' by KJY can only be compared to honey).

[directhit]

and chandupottu - overrated aah - i guess it was a wonderful role done by Dilip which even made Vikram think abt taking up the movie and perhaps put it on hold/dropped with Ajith acting in Varalaaru as a transvestite in one of the roles
Anoops,
I saw parts of the movie and I felt it was a below average movie. Did Dilip appear in the movie with the mush always ? If that is true then the director must have missed something. Appadi irukkiravanga mudhal kaariyama meesaiya thaanae edupaanga. Sadai ellam vaichavanga meesaiya vittutaangaloae. ?

P.S: I didn't understand anything in the movie. So, thappa iruntha vitrungoe :yessir: hi selva, nope it aint a classic :P - its jus Dilip's acting which is good in the movie. and as for mush - he aint a transvestite in the movie, his grandma treats him as a girl and he talks/walks with a girl like style - avalo dhaan. and Dilip right from his mimicry days has done this voice/dialogue style of that sort - that was developed more into this movie :) neenga thappa solluveengalaa - vijay movie ya pathi thavira :P

[directhit]

Murali sir - i take it for granted u wud have watched Moonam Pakkam (Thilagan/Jayaram) - padmarajan story. how did you like it? - wud u recommend it for film lovers here

[selvakumar]

neenga thappa solluveengalaa - vijay movie ya pathi thavira :P
<dig> :o intha ulkuthu sathiyama puriyala :lol: enna sollureenga :wink: </dig>

[Murali Srinivas]

Murali sir - i take it for granted u wud have watched Moonam Pakkam (Thilagan/Jayaram) - padmarajan story. how did you like it? - wud u recommend it for film lovers here

Anoop,

Definitely I would. Thilakan was outstanding. It was Jeyaram's first film. But for a general Tamil audience, it would be too serious a movie. Even his earlier movies like Paranu Paranu Paranu (Rohini in the lead) was a good one. Of course it goes without saying that Namakku Paarkaan Munthiri thoppukal was a class one.

app,

Panchakini was one of the few movies where Lal came without mush. Geetha would have been ooutstanding. Somehow MT- Hariharan- Mohanlal team could not give hits as much as MT- Hariharan- Mammootty team could. But Panchagini was one exception.

Chidabaram was by Aravindan, one of the icons of Malayalam cinema in line with Adoor Goplakrishnan.

Regards

[kannannn]

Thanks Murali Srinivas :D. Gopi is one of my all time favourites. He never had the attributes we have come expect of heroes and still had immense screen presence. An absolute treat to watch. I still remember Kodiyettam and Kaatathe Kilikoodu. I think Mohanlal was a PT-er in the latter. Will see if I can get hold of any of his directorial works.


New Delhi preceded CBI. Though it (New Delhi) was inspired from "The Almighty" novel, it was neatly Indianised. Iyer the Great was a very good movie. The diredtor Bhadran (not to be confused with Bharathan) later could not sustain such standards. I will try to write about such movies, whenever time permits.
Thanks again :D. Their thrillers again are very simple but very gripping. Sad we don't have such good writers in Tamil.


PS: Kannan, are you following Paadalgal Palavitham thread in current topics?
No. I would love to, but have never managed to get past the Miscellaneous Section. Will try to :D

[directhit]

Murali sir - i take it for granted u wud have watched Moonam Pakkam (Thilagan/Jayaram) - padmarajan story. how did you like it? - wud u recommend it for film lovers here

Anoop,

Definitely I would. Thilakan was outstanding. It was Jeyaram's first film. But for a general Tamil audience, it would be too serious a movie. Even his earlier movies like Paranu Paranu Paranu (Rohini in the lead) was a good one. Of course it goes without saying that Namakku Paarkaan Munthiri thoppukal was a class one.
:bow: one of my fav movies - namma Vivasaayi hubber kku links anuppiyirundhein - paatharo ennamo :roll:

[rangan_08]

:omg: Murali Sir, ingeyum kalakkunnum :D (ingeyum kalakkureenga - correct-a ??) BTW, thanks for notifying me abt.this thread. Wud jump in here frequently from now on....

[Murali Srinivas]

app and others,

Here is the list of Padmarajan movies.

Films

1.Peruvazhiyambalam (1979)

2.Oridaththoru phayalvaan (1981) - Nedumudi Venu

3.Kallan Pavithran (1981) - Nedumudi Venu

4.Novemberintaey nashtam (1982)

5.Koodevide - adapted from the Tamil novel Moongil pookkal by Vaasanthi- (1983) - A superb movie that saw the debut of Rahman and debut of Suhasini in Malayalam witha pwerful performance by Mammootty.

6.Parannu parannu parannu (1984) - Rohini

7.Thinkalaazhcha nalla divasam (1985) - Mammootty

8.Nammukku paarkkaan munthiri thoppukal (1986) - Mohanlal

9.Kariyilakkaattu polaey (1986) - Mammootty & Mohanlal

10.Arappatta kettiya graamaththil (1986) - Mammootty

11.Deshaadanakkili karayaarilla (1986) - Mohanlal

12.Nombaraththippoovu (1987) - Mammootty

13.Thoovaanathumbikal (1987) - Mohanlal

14.Aparan (1988) - Jayaram

15.Moonnaampakkam (1988) - Thilakan/Jayaram

16.Season (1989) - Mohanlal.

17.Innalaey - adapted from the Tamil novel Jananam by Vaasanthi- (1990) - Suresh Gopi , Jayaram & Shobana. A lovely film. The novel was filmed in Tamil also as Yaaro Ezhuthiya Kavidhai by none other than Sridhar. But Malayalam would be of top notch.

18.Njaan gandharvan (1991) - Nitish Bharathwaj - This was Padmarajan's last film. Within days of this movie's release, he passed away.

There are Films for which he wrote story & screenplay alone and they are

1 Prayaanam (Bharathan) (1975) - Came in Tamil also.

2.Ithaa ividaey varaey (I. V. Sasi) (1977) - Madhu, Soman, Jaya Bharathy.

3.Rathinirvedham (Bharathan) (1978) - Jayabharathy, Krishnachander

4.Raappaadikaludaey gaadha (K. G. George) (1978)

5.Nakshathrangalaey kaaval (K. S. Sethumadhavan) (1978)

6.Vaadakakkoru hrudhayam (I. V. Sasil) (1978)

7.Sathraththil oru raathri (N. Sankaran Nair) (1978

8.Thakara (Bharathan) (1979) - A film which made Prathap Pothen very famous in Kerala

9. Lorry (Bharathan) (1980)

10.Kochchu kochchu thettukal (Mohan) (1980)

11.Shalini entaey koottukaari (Mohan) (1980) - Came in Tamil also as Sujatha [Remember "Nee Varuvai ena Naan Irundhen" song sung by Kalyani Menon M/o Rajeev Menon]

12.Idavela (Mohan) (1982)

13.Eenam [Tune] (Bharathan) (1983)

14. Kaikeyi (I. V. Sasi) (1983)

15.Kaanaamarayaththu (I. V. Sasi) (1984) - A movie with a delicate story. Mammootty & Shobana. Handled extremely well by I V Sasi.

16.Ozhivukaalam (Bharathan) (1985)

17.Karimpinpoovinakkaraey (I. V. Sasi) (1985)

18.Ee Thanuththa Veluppaankaalaththu (Joshi) (1990) - Mammmootty, Suresh gopi, Nedumudi Venu and Sumalatha. A very good thriller.

Regards

[app_engine]

wow, grand list!
Thank you Murali for painstakingly compiling this!

Even the names of a number of these movies sound poetic! I think Padmarajan should have contributed a lot to MF's standards. Unfortunately I don't remember seeing any of these except thoovAnaththumbikaL.

However, I must admit that, one has to be a little bit careful when getting these movies in DVD. Even tv thumbikaL cannot be watched with my teen son around :oops: It's possible his other movies are also for mature audience.

[rangan_08]

Murali sir, you remind me of Zee-boom-baa :D you have a great knack of digging out the details and producing them here within no time. Its very unfortunate that I've not seen a single film in the above list. Anyway, I've taken a printout and hope to watch them all some day........

BTW, can we have a list of Malayalam directors who did tamil films. The one's which come to my mind immediately are, Fazil, Priyadarshan, Balachandra Menon, Bharadhan, Shaji Kailash, I.V. Sasi........

Sir, I wanted to ask you about a film called "Viradham" (dubbed in tamil) directed by I.V.Sasi. Kamal played the lead in this film and i think it's about taming a wild horse. In between 86-89, if i remember right, I've seen a small poster of this film with a still of Kamal trying to tame a wild horse. Do you know anything about this film sir ??

[Murali Srinivas]

app,

Thanks. Yes, you need to be bit careful because Padmarajan is known for such type of picturisation, though it would be done tastefully.

Mohan,

Almost all directors would have done a Tamil film at one point of time or other. Even the actors/actresses, everybody would have been a part of Tamil cinema atleast once.

Regarding Vradham (Viradham in Tamil), it came in May 1987. Actually it was not about taming wild horse. It is about a family getting wiped up and the son taking revenge. Here a very soft Brahmin boy becomes a tough guy and takes revenge. It was not a super hit but it did ran.

Regards

[Murali Srinivas]

As Kannan has rightly pointed out, we (Tamil Cinema) don't have script writers who can write a good screen play when it comes to thrillers/investigative films. But Malayalam cinema has writers who can work out a solid screenplay even from day to happenings or incidents of international importance. Not only that , it will be logical and thrilling. I remember one such case. It was 1998 and India had just exploded the Atom Bomb again at Pokran, after 1974. These people carved out a story from there.

India explodes Atom Bomb. There are mixed reactions from the International Community. Forces imminical to India oppose the test and enemy forces plan something drastic. Governement gets information that ISI and CIA to name a few are not happy and so there is a threat to VIPs and people associated with the Atomic project. Here the chairman of the Atomic commision also comes under the security threat and he is provided Z+ category.

This person is a Keralite and now he is a permanent resident of Delhi. Things are like this when the marriage of his grand daughter is arranged at his native place in Kerala, a small village in Trichur District, which falls in between Palghat and Trichur. Chairman wants to go but being in the elite list, he has to inform the government and Government on hearing this is not favourably inclined towards his travel. They suggest that he avoid this trip, but he says he wants to go because the grand daughter is very close to him. The Inteligent circles put forth an alternate sugestion that the marriage be conducted in Delhi. He rejects the suggestion because it would be very difficult for all the people to come to Delhi and the cost involved would be huge. Sensing that he is determined to go, the government reluctantly agrees but wants to make sure everything is fine at the village.

They decide to send a person in advance to check the ground realities there and the task falls upon a commando. But he is advised to travel to Kerala not on official duty but as if he is on a vacation so that nobody becomes suspicious. They choose a commando from the same village from where the Atomic energy commision chairman also hails. Commando is more than happy because he gets a chance to go to his native place and the other attraction for him is his uncle's daughter, his "murai pen", whom he is going to marry. He starts from Delhi.

Getting down at Palghat railway station, he alights a bus and he is happily dreaming about his stay in the village. After a certain distance, he feels that someone s trying to talk to him by waking him up. To his surprise he finds a woman sitting by his side and his surprise goes more when she asks him to get down at the next stop. Unable to comprehend who she is and what she means, he is asking for the reason but no answer comes. He is again asked to get down and when he refuses, this woman cooly shows a time bomb fixed on her and asks him whether he wants everyone in the bus to be blown up? His surprise turing to shock, he doesn't want to take a risk. He wants to find out who she is and what is her motive.Morover he has a feeling that she being a woman, he can very well handle her in case of emergency. So he and she get down at the next bus stop and start walking. After this nobody sees him nor hear from him.

He neither reaches his home town nor he reports back to his head quarters. There is no word on him. The people at IB and RAW are shocked to the core because except for the top brass nobody was aware of this project and the commando's travel. When such is the case, he vanishing into thin air in a remote village in far away Kerala is a real shocker and points to dangerous things.

Now cut to the native village in Kerala. It is a typical Kerala village and the scene shifts to a tea shop where all things under the sun are discussed. One fine day, the local people look up to find a stranger walking into the shop. Nobody has any clue about him. He is so strong and looks tough. So much so that the shop owner even forgets to take the money from him for his tea. When reminded by others, the owner calls him aloud only to be told to open an account, as he is going to stay there for a while. This new comer is a mystery. He keeps to himself and he stays inside for most of the day time. In the nights, people see him going to the boat house and taking a boat. Some curious people even follow him and see him using long telesscope like instruments and walkie talkies. But nobody dare to question him and few who try, get a very curt reply and people are afraid to go near him.

One day during his night roaming, he hears a loud crying sound and on entering the house from where the sound emanated, he finds a old woman bed ridden. On seeing him, the old woman gets up and calls him "Mone" and tries to hug him. When he is about to release himself from her, a young girl rushes out and asks him to bear with the old lady. It transpires that the old woman is the mother of the commando who had gone missing. Her son had written a letter to her informing that he is coming home on a vacation and she had been waiting for him to arrive. When he doesn't turn up, her anxiety and nervousness grows and this had affected her mental balance. So when she saw the stranger, she thought it is her son and rejoiced. The young girl happens to be the murai pen of the commando and she pleads with the stranger not to reveal his true identity since that would affect the old woman more seriously.

Now the stranger is caught in a fix. If he acts as the missing commando, that would bring trouble and his mission(!) would be hampered. Alternatively if he tells the old woman that he is not her son, it may critically affect her and even it may lead to her collapse. Caught in a no man's land, the stranger decides that the old woman's life is more important and readies himself to face the challenges that would be arising out of this. ------

Interval

Regards

[sarna_blr]

:clap: excellent write up... really I felt like watching a movie... :clap: :clap: pls tell the name of the movie... i am very interested to watch it :D


Mokkai -- Intervel'la popcorn ellaam kudukku maatteengalaa :lol2:

[raagadevan]

http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/30/stories/2008073051550300.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/31/stories/2008073151720300.htm

[Murali Srinivas]

:clap: excellent write up... really I felt like watching a movie... :clap: :clap: pls tell the name of the movie... i am very interested to watch it :D


Mokkai -- Intervel'la popcorn ellaam kudukku maatteengalaa :lol2:

Saravana,

Sorry. Even I don't know what happens after the interval. Enna confusing-aga irukka?

This movie was never made. This was planned in 1998 July- August. The screen paly was written by director Rajeevkumar, who directed Chankiyan. The movie was to be directed by Shaji Kailas. The stranger who comes to the village is actually a Military official in the rank of Colonel.

The movie was titled "Colonel" and Mammootty was supposed to play the Colonel. Malayalam cinema people would do all things properly and since it involved Atomic energy and bomb, the script was submitted to the Defence Ministry, Indian Atomic Energy commision, IB and RAW. Due to the sensitivity of the subject involved, the green signal was not immediately forthcoming from the government which put it on hold.

After a short while, the Vajpayee government was defeated in the trust vote (April 1999) and this project went into a cold storage. Even when the Vajpayee govt returned to power in Oct 1999, this could not be revived.

I read this screenplay in a film magazine and I had reproduced it here to highlight how good the Malayalam script writers are when it comes to creating a script from a single head line.

Regards

[ajithfederer]

Wow :D :D

[sarna_blr]

:clap: excellent write up... really I felt like watching a movie... :clap: :clap: pls tell the name of the movie... i am very interested to watch it :D


Mokkai -- Intervel'la popcorn ellaam kudukku maatteengalaa :lol2:

Saravana,

Sorry. Even I don't know what happens after the interval. Enna confusing-aga irukka?

This movie was never made. This was planned in 1998 July- August. The screen paly was written by director Rajeevkumar, who directed Chankiyan. The movie was to be directed by Shaji Kailas. The stranger who comes to the village is actually a Military official in the rank of Colonel.

The movie was titled "Colonel" and Mammootty was supposed to play the Colonel. Malayalam cinema people would do all things properly and since it involved Atomic energy and bomb, the script was submitted to the Defence Ministry, Indian Atomic Energy commision, IB and RAW. Due to the sensitivity of the subject involved, the green signal was not immediately forthcoming from the government which put it on hold.

After a short while, the Vajpayee government was defeated in the trust vote (April 1999) and this project went into a cold storage. Even when the Vajpayee govt returned to power in Oct 1999, this could not be revived.

I read this screenplay in a film magazine and I had reproduced it here to highlight how good the Malayalam script writers are when it comes to creating a script from a single head line.

Regards

:twisted: :oops:

appa kandippaa Chankiyan padam paakkanum....
Can u pls list ur TOP 50 FAVOURITE MALAYAALAM MOVIES... i will watch it in coming days :D

[directhit]

Sarna, if u donno already Chanakyan has Kamal Hassan and Jayaram(first film) along with Thilagan. Nice movie considering the year it was made (89) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097043/

[app_engine]

Chanakyan was a below-average movie (I saw in theater when released and got disappointed after some hype those days). It didn't have great response from public as well.

[app_engine]

http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/fullstory.php?id=14731312

Fazil used to make some unconventional movies that had nice twists / endings.

Unfortunately, he has been spoilt after getting into Chennai IMO - which was probably a gradual process, rubbing shoulders with some mediocre teams who had preconceived notions about TF audience. They possibly started pulling him into their mould. (While 'poovE poochooda vA' was phenomenal and closer to the original, varusham 16 was a massacre of 'ennennum kaNNEttande'; later even his Malayalam movies were degraded - pappayude swantham appoos, though a big hit, was like an average k-wood masala IMO)

Let's see whether he still has the spark.

[Murali Srinivas]

app,

Fazil even before he came into Tamil Cinema used to "decorate" his films. Right from his first film "Man(j)il Virinja Pookkal" to his last "Vismaya thumbathhu". Pappaude Swantham Appoos, though was a colourful riot in the first half (Olathumbathurindh Oonjaaladum chella Painkili -what a song), it was sort of preparing us for the second half and I liked the way he ended the movie on a positive note (at the same time avoiding the cliche - Operation Success, just like the grand mother fixing the calling bell again in the hope that her grand daughter would come back one day).

Reason for writing this today is, saw part of (45 mins of second half) No:1, Sneha deeram, Bangalore North. Don't know whether you had seen this [Mammootty - Priya Raman - 1995 Onam]. Though it was directed by Sathyan Anthicaud, the story screenplay was by Fazil and he had produced this film. One of my favourites (though critics may treat is melodrama) and those 45 mins, i was glued. Superb songs by Ousepechan. Just went back to those days.

Regards

[app_engine]

Well, Murali Srinivas, my exposure to movies is quite limited and so my opinions like the one about Fazil may not be accurate:-)

Coming from you, with such a keen eye for details, it should be correct! (BTW, I've not seen the movie that you referred).

My personal observation is the "forced" inserts / changes that Fazil had to do for TF ( e.g. in such an interesting movie like 'bommukkutty ammAvukku', the fight scene & the following song of Sathyaraj / Raghuvaran is such an irritation. I don't remember even so many songs in the original ente mAmAttukkutty ammaikku. Still EBA was a decent movie but varusham 16 was totally spoilt -too bad compared to the poem that was ennennum kaNNEttande, IMO). He didn't have much of these in poovE poochooda vA, when he was fresh in Chennai and probably not in any mood to compromise. His last hit KM, except for the very interesting climax (Srividhya awesome there), is like an average masala.

Also, it could be a progressive degradation of Malayalam movies themselves overall that affected Fazil as well - things like so many comedy hits by Priyadharsan in late 80's & 90's that were more or less like Tamil movies; the huge success of 'Ramjirao speaking' which was produced by Fazil & directed by Siddique-Lal, transformation of Mohanlal into playing larger-than-life-roles etc.

Movies like 'maNivaththooril 1000 sivarAthrikaL' are definitely a rarity and refreshing (may not be too exciting, but soothing like a serene stream)

[Murali Srinivas]

As if the problems plaguing the industry are not enough, now even the releases have run into trouble. Earlier Malayalam movies used to be released on an average of 35 - 40 screens. Later it got increased to 45-50. Recently seizing the prevailing trend in other industries, Malayalam cinema also resorted to wide release. Mammootty's Annan Thampi was the first film to go for a 75 screen release and it was a thumping success. The fact that centres adjoining major cities did a roaring business supported the wide release move. Following this Mammootty's another movie "Parunthu" also had the same type of release. It didn't do that well but the wide release ensured that distributor didn't lose out much as opening was grand and more centres were covered before the WOM spread.

Now the exhibitors in the traditional release centres (read cities/towns) are up in arms against this move as they are complaining that this move is eating into their revenues. The hardcore fans/cinema lovers who were coming down from the B centres to the cities/towns are now seeing it in their own backyard and so the revenue is down, thus goes their argument. They threatened that they will not release any new movie in A centres if it is simultaneously getting released in B and C centres.

Mammootty's "Maya Bazaar" was scheduled for a wide release of 80 centres on Oct 1st but because of this militant stand, the movie got released only in 59 B and C centres. Mohanlal's "Kurushethra" which was scheduled for Oct 2nd release was postponed. As it happens in Kerala, there were tripartite conciliatory talks involving Producer, exhibitor and Governement (including the minister) and for the time being the exhibitors have won it seems, but on a confusing note.

The solution hammered out was producer/distributor should not get advance/MG from B and C centres if they want make it as a wide release. Without advance/MG, distributor would not find it attractive as they have to wait for everyday's collection. So again a sort of confusion prevails.

Mohanlal's "Kurushethra" seems to be the last exemption given and it has releaased in nearly 100 + centres. With a good WOM, it has raked in good moolah, it appears.

Now the movie to be most affected is "Twenty 20", which has all the actors of Malayalam cinema in it. Produced on behalf of "AMMA" by actor Dileep and directed by Joshi, this was planned for 125 centres release. Scheduled for Oct 24th, now it finds a spanner thrown in. Talks are being held to wriggle out of the situation as the producer has taken advance from almost all centres. The industry is keeping it's fingers crossed.

Regards

[joe]

http://asifmeeran.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post_2616.html

:rotfl:

[raagadevan]

Malayalam films have lost the Malayali touch, says Venu Nagavally

Thiruvananthapuram (IANS): Actor-scriptwriter-director Venu Nagavally, who makes a comeback after eight years with "Bharaya Swantham Suhurthu", on Monday said Malayalam films have lost the Malayali touch.

"I wouldn't blame anyone for what has happened to the industry and I would say several factors have contributed to this, including the actors, producers, exhibitors and all those associated with the industry," Nagavally told reporters here.

He also added that the huge remunerations being charged by the stars shouldn't be seen as a dampener.

"They command that price because people are willing to pay and it is not proper to ask them to reduce their prices," said Nagavally.

This is Nagavally's 12th film and he says that the film sends out a message to each and every family in the State.

Produced by Mystic Eye Dream Visualisers, the film features Mukesh and Jagathy as the central characters and also stars Padmapriya and Urvasi.

Veteran actor Thilakan, who plays an important role in the film, endorsed Nagavally's views on the industry.

He said: "In yesteryears, the industry here was not money minded, but now it has become purely commercial where money is everything and hence the Malayali touch has disappeared."

Thilakan says that Nagavally's long absence hasn't been a loss if one sees the film.

"Veteran director Balachandra Menon once asked me why his films are not doing well as compared to his earlier ones? My answer was simple, I told him that a director has to invest his time in reading and observing the surroundings and that has been done by Nagavally and is evident in his film," said Thilakan.

(The Hindu - March 2, 2009)

[Vivasaayi]

http://asifmeeran.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post_2616.html



:lol:

[complicateur]

http://asifmeeran.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post_2616.html

:rotfl:
Today I discovered something serendipitously.. an old painting by Bharathan, done when he was starting out as a painter, in my house. Brought back memories of watching Thakara, thAzhvAram and kAttathE kiLikkoodu. Sad that such an article can even been written.

[Plum]

copli, quite. Even five years back, a satisfactory case could be made for regional films vs Bollywood. The gap is badly widening now.
But all the same, even in the current boom phase, Bollywood is not churning out 'great' movies consistently is another matter.

[Plum]

But seriously, complicateur, what caused Mal Ind downfall, in your opinion?

[complicateur]

Plum,
athellAm sociologists thesis ezhutha vENdiya supjet... niRaya research seyya vENdi irukkum. The preceding pages carry some of the issues. 'sangAththam sariyillai' - nu simple-ah sollalAm, but that is a reply that doesn't go beyond the veneer.

[app_engine]

Logithadas is no more :-(
http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/fullstory.php?id=14896729&?vsv=HP4

[AudazJay]

Still EBA was a decent movie but varusham 16 was totally spoilt -too bad compared to the poem that was ennennum kaNNEttande, IMO).

This may seem irrelevant to be asked in this thread but what was wrong with Varusham 16? :huh:

I haven't seen the Malayalam movie therefore I'm not at the liberty to compare both the films. Nevertheless if Varusham 16 is considered to be the "spoilt", then I'm curious to find out how the original version was. :D

[raagadevan]

[tscii:d2eb972732]
Waves of applause

SARASWATHY NAGARAJAN

Shyamaprasad wins his third National award for ‘Ore Kadal,’ the best film in Malayalam.

Depending on the theme and its treatment, I choose a team that I feel can best narrate the story.

Versatile: Film director Shyamaprasad’s films cover a wide range of themes.

“It is the 48th award for ‘Ore Kadal,’” says Shyamaprasad about his film that has won the National award for the best regional film (Malayalam). He had won the same award for two of his previous films – ‘Agnisakshi’ and ‘Akale.’ All three are adaptations of famous works. ‘Agnisakshi’ was based on Lalithambika Antharjanam’s novel of the same name and ‘Akale,’ an adaptation of Tennesse William’s play ‘The Glass Menagerie.’ ‘Ore Kadal,’ based on a novel in Bengali by Sunil Gangopadhyay, has been making waves ever since it reached the silver screen. This film has also bagged the National award for music for music director Ouseppachan. The latest award for ‘Ore Kadal’ merely reinforces the fact that the filmmaker is one of the most happening directors in Malayalam. Each of his films, including the latest, ‘Ritu,’ which is still running in theatres in Kerala, showcases his versatility and mastery over the medium. None of the films has a common thematic thread or similar star cast.
An evolution

“It has been an evolution that has seen me grow as a director and as a filmmaker,” says Shyamaprasad. He adds that although he was disappointed when his film was passed over by the State film awards jury last year, he has no complaints “as awards are elusive and each jury differs and these things happen. However, I did feel bad for Ouseppachan when he did not win an award for his work then. His songs and background score were exceptional and conveyed the story so well. It was an organic part of the film. It was his spontaneity that impressed me.”

Like all good captains, Shyamaprasad says he owes the award to his team who turned his idea into reality. “It is a collaboration with each member giving their best,” he says. But the fact remains that his works also brought out the best in his actors and crew. ‘Agnisakshi’ swept the Kerala State film awards in 1999 (wining accolades for its technicians and the best actor award for Rajat Kapoor and the best supporting actress award for Praveena) while ‘Akale’ bagged six Kerala State film awards in 2004 (again garnering awards for the actors and the crew). Geethu Mohandas won the Kerala State film award for the best actress and veteran Sheela won the State award for the best supporting actress and also got her first National award for her sterling work in ‘Akale.’

With these kind of credentials to back him up, he must have many in the industry waiting to work in his films. However Shyamaprasad downplays it saying it is always the characters who decide the cast and not the other way around. “Depending on the theme and its treatment, I choose a team that I feel can best narrate the story. For instance, in ‘Akale’ I have used Sheela’s style of acting and idiosyncrasies to sketch the character. Similarly, for ‘Ritu’ I wanted a fresh bunch of actors and so I decided to work with debutants. I have never been moved by star status,” he says.
‘Off-season’

His short film for Ranjith’s Portmanteau movie ‘Kerala Café’ seems to vouch for this. After working with thespians like Rajat Kapoor and Mammootty, superstar-in-the-making Prithviraj and debutant Nishan, Shyamaprasad’s hero in the short film ‘Off-season’ is comedian Suraj Venjaramoodu. Scripted by Joshua Newtonn and filmed by the director’s favourite cinematographer, Alagappan, the film tells the bitter-sweet tale of a day in the life of Kunjappai, a 30-year-old surf-board renter at Kovalam.

“It is anchored on the recession and how ripples of the global slump hit even places and people on the sidelines of life. It shows the universal truth that hardship knows no race or nationality,” explains Shyamaprasad.

And now the director plans to write his first script for a film that has Nayanthara in the lead. Based on the Electra Complex, the film, titled ‘Electra,’ will go on the floor in December. “As a student of theatre, I am familiar with the Greek myths and with the work of Eugene O’Neill’s play ‘Mourning becomes Electra.’ Since I feel confident about the subject, I plan to write the script myself,” says Shyamaprasad. Going by his record, another winner could be in the making.

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